Nourish your body for good health

January 15, 2014

As you get older, you may not be as active as you used to be. Maybe you don't feel like cooking, so you rely on fast food or convenient heat-and-serve food. Perhaps you've developed health issues such as high blood pressure or diabetes, or have trouble seeing. You're not alone. Half of North Dakotans 65 and older have arthritis, nearly one in three has impaired vision, and one in five has diabetes. Nearly 90 percent aren't involved in physical activity, 42 percent are overweight, 24 percent are obese and 57 percent have high blood pressure. If you'd like to make some positive changes in your diet or lifestyle, the North Dakota State University Extension Service can help. NDSU Extension developed a program called "Nourishing Boomers and Beyond" to provide North Dakotans age 50 and older with information and strategies to reduce their risk of developing chronic disease.

You'll be able to attend a series of monthly classes that focus on a different topic each time. The first class will focus on nutrition tips and physical activities to nourish and exercise your muscles. To find a location near you, visit (www.ag.ndsu.edu/

wardcountyextension) or contact Trish or Ellen at 857-6450 for more information. If you aren't able to attend a class or want more information on the topic covered in a session, visit the program's website at (ndsu.edu/boomers). Anyone can sign up for the free electronic monthly newsletter by visiting this website. The website includes a workout guide with easy-to-follow strength, balance and flexibility exercises that you can do any time, and recipes that are good sources of the nutrients you need for good health.

If you enjoy Facebook, visit and "like" the Ward County Extension page to receive daily tips and recipes. January will focus on nutrition tips and physical activities to nourish and exercise your muscles. Other months will focus on how to keep your eyes, heart, brain, digestive system, skin, bones and joints healthy; how to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet; how to sort out fact from fiction in claims for health products or services; where to go for reliable health and nutrition information; and mental health and dealing with stress.

The project was supported by the Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grant Program of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

(Trisha Jessen is a Family Nutrition Program/North Dakota State University Extension Educator who works in the Ward County office. She can be reached by email at Trisha.Jessen@ndsu.edu.)